Elizabeth Darling
by PeaceLoveHippiness
Summary: Elizabeth Jean Darling is forced into her first year of Hogwarts. Already marked off as a nerd cause her uncle is a Professor, she has to decide who her real friends are. When the mystery of her mum and dad come into the picture as well as Voldemort's only son the last thing Elizabeth wants to worry about is friends. NEXT GENERATION


Study, study, study: Cranon decided that was all he ever did. He never went out, he never had friends, and he never had fun. What was the point of being twenty-one if he was hauled up a room studying all the time? Cranon usually didn't mind; he didn't like complaining to his Aunt Cissy she had raised him right, but when he heard little Scorpius laughing with his best friends down the hall he couldn't help the deep anger that curled into the pit of his stomach. Cranon took a few deep breaths to clear his head then glanced out his window hoping the beautiful weather would distract him but it only made him more somber as it reminded him that he was stuck inside.

"Cranon?" Scorpius knocked on his door and Cranon looked over his shoulder and raised an eyebrow at the boy. Despite living in the same house for eleven years, since the day Scorpius was born, Scorpius rarely ever ventured into Cranon's room out of pure fear of the older boy. Cranon didn't remember doing anything in particular to the boy but between his last name and the fact there was a ten year difference between the two of them it wasn't surprising Scorpius didn't try to be Cranon's best friend.

"Yes?" Scorpius seemed to hesitate at the tilt of Cranon's eyebrow and Cranon decided he must have look rather intimidating so he dropped his brow line and turned completely around to face the stammering blond boy. Scorpius was cute for an eleven year old; he had a thin face and pointed chin, quite like his father's and grandfather's. His blond hair hung in his eyes despite his mother's protest and he was quite set on getting a tattoo regardless of Draco's evident paling when the topic was brought up. Scorpius has his mother's brown eyes and light brown freckles but his skin tone was quite 'Malfoy'. He looked as if he hadn't seen the light of day ever.

"Is there something I can do for you Cory?" Like Cranon said the two hardly talked but 'Cory' was a childish nickname Scorpius was given by his mother and Cranon decided to test his reaction. Unlike Scorpius's father, Scorpius could light up a room. Cranon wasn't sure if it was because he was willing to help Scorpius or the just that fact he knew Scorpius's name, but something caused the small boy's eyes to dance with joy and a smile to pull on his tight lips.

"Uh yes." Scorpius said before pausing forcing Cranon to nod his head to encourage the boy to continue talking, "Um…oh yeah can you help us fix something?" The smile died to a look of guilt and Cranon found himself chuckle at the boy.

"Sure thing." Cranon said grabbing his wand and following Scorpius out of the room, "So what did you break?"

"First I didn't break anything," Scorpius said stubbornly, "Kevin did and it was Mummy's wedding vase."

"Did not!" Kevin Flint leapt up from where he was perched on the sofa before stopping and blushing upon seeing Cranon.

"Did too!" Scorpius shouted at the brunette. Kevin was a good head taller than Scorpius; Scorpius had always been quite small for his age, and Cranon guessed Scorpius wouldn't have spoken to his friend like that if Cranon hadn't been there to back him up, "Kevin was showing off his wand because I haven't got one yet. He took it out of his pocket and waved it around; next thing I know the vase just shattered."

"It wasn't on purpose." Kevin insisted.

"Don't worry; I got it." As Cranon went to fix the vase Kevin approached Scorpius and the two started whispering just loud enough for him to overhear.

"Is that really him?" Scorpius must have nodded in confirmation cause Kevin continued, "You better not be lying to me, Malfoy."

"I'm not; that _his _son. Swear."

"My dad says you're making the whole thing up. You-Know-Who never had a kid."

"Of course he didn't he's a guy." Scorpius made a face.

"You know what a mean you prat." Kevin said knocking Scorpius's shoulder with his big fist. Cranon couldn't believe that these two had the gall to talk about him when he was in listening distance. Now Cranon was a good kid; he was polite, smart, well-behaved, and great with people…most of the time. Aunt Cissy swears it's not his fault; with parents like his it's expected for him to have some sort of issue, but he had a problem.

Cranon had anger issues; not huff and storm off anger issues but 'I-wanna-kill-you' anger issues. Aunt Cissy says it comes from his father; Tom Marvolo Riddle or more commonly known as Lord Voldemort, he had a nasty temper but not quite like Cranon's. Tom's anger was more peaceful and calm until he killed you. He hardly ever yelled; because it was seen as beneath him, he criticized you with words and a Cruciatus curse.

Uncle Lucius and Draco disagree when Aunt Cissy isn't around; they say his temper issues are from his notorious mother; Bellatrix Lestrange. Cranon had only heard stories but he guessed the two men to be right. Bellatrix was generally playful and quite childish but if someone insulted her or his father she'd snap. Everything went to hell when Bellatrix was mad but when Cranon was mad it went beyond hell.

Unlike either of his parents, Cranon couldn't control his outbursts. His stomach feels like it turns over in his gut and his palm become sweaty and clenched. He gnashes his teeth together and his eyes narrow under his furrowed brow. His whole body beginnings to shake and then the yelling starts-

"I CAN HEAR YOU!" Cranon shouted and both boys jumped back, "IT'S RUDE TO TALK ABOUT PEOPLE! DIDN'T YOUR MOTHERS EVER TEACH YOU MANNERS?" The lights in the room flickered three times then; with a sequence of quick pops, each light bulb exploded plunging the room into darkness. The sky was no longer cheerful and inviting, no it looked like a storm was rolling in. The clouds mimicked the feeling in Cranon's gut as the flopped over one another. Rain pounded the roof and ground and the thunder rolled deafeningly loud shaking the Manor.

"I-I-I'm sorry." Scorpius stammered knowing full well of Cranon's outbursts, "I apologize please stop it." But this was not a possibility; Cranon had tried many times to see if he could calm himself down but couldn't, because when Cranon got going he was no longer Cranon. He didn't care if you were his cousin or you're his cousin's son's friend; it was all the same to him, he was mad and he'd take it out on someone. The only person who had ever succeeded to calming down poor Cranon was Aunt Cissy. He had come out of that temper tantrum and saw who he was yelling at and broke down in tears upon seeing the red imprint his hand had left on her cheek. He had never truly forgiven himself for hurting her thus the reason he usually stayed in his room so he couldn't cause such damage.

"YOU SHOULD LEARN MANNERS!" Cranon turned his wand on the two boys and they both squeaked and attempted to duck behind a couch but Cranon quickly set it on fire making the boys scream jump away.

"Cranon." A woman's voice entered the picture; she was scolding him, something Cranon wasn't too fond of, "You stop this they're just boys." Cranon dropped his wand and sat back onto the ground. He put his head between his knees and attempted the breath. He only knew it was working because he saw light from the sun spray out on the floor.

"Cranon?" He knew that voice too; it was Astoria she had probably entered with Aunt Cissy. Astoria was like a big sister to him; like him and Aunt Cissy, he and Astoria were also rather close. A hand was placed gently on his back but Cranon just brushed it off. They were going to tell him the same thing as last time. 'It's okay Cranon' and 'It wasn't your fault Cranon' but it was all lies. It wasn't okay and it was his fault. He was a horrible person.

"Cranon." Aunt Cissy scolded, "Stand up a man of your stature does not sulk." Cranon knew she didn't mean it but Aunt Cissy knew had to get into his head. Cranon cared about how other perceived him. The best way to get him to do what she wanted was criticize him because he always strived to look better in her eyes. He did stand but his eyes still stayed locked on the floor.

"Scorpius, take Kevin outside." Astoria said not harshly but there left no room for discussion and Scorpius quickly did so.

"Cranon listen to me-"

"I could have hurt him." Cranon whispered, "Either of them. I'm dangerous."

"You're not dangerous. You're just a boy."

"I'm not a boy; I'm a man. A dangerous, dangerous man... just like my father!"

"You are not your father!" Aunt Cissy cut in.

"I'm just like him. I look like him, I act like him: we're practically the same person!" Cranon shouted cringing at his realization. Astoria took his hand and led him to the love seat and forced him to sit. Aunt Cissy on the other hand stood on the other side of the room; one hand perched on the top to the fireplace, staring off into the distance like she got when they talked about her Hogwarts years.

"You do look horribly like him." She whispered suddenly in such an eerie voice it made Cranon jump slightly, "The same raven black hair and deep black eyes. You have his face and perfect smile. That smile could start wars."Aunt Cissy chuckled slightly to herself. With everything thing she listed off Aunt Cissy took a step closer until she was hovering over Cranon looking down at him.

Aunt Cissy quite old and her blue eyes had faded gray and she was almost blind. She was a fragile, old woman but she didn't act like it; she was a Malfoy and a very high class one at that. Words out of her mouth were law so she only spoke when necessary. Her beautiful blond hair was now white but it still had the old shine she had when she was a young woman. Her face, despite her age, wasn't very wrinkled do to the money she had spent taking care of it at a young age. All she had was small crow's feet on the corners of both eyes that only showed when she smiled, which wasn't often.

She took one hand and traced the side of Cranon's face before looking out the window as if she couldn't quite see him so she was using her hand to see what he looked like. Her fingers trailed over his nose, lips, and chin before resting there and tilting his head up at her forcing him to meet her eye.

"Bellatrix was quite smitten just by his looks. He was quite a looker in his young age as are you now. But looking a like does not make you your father. You don't want to act like that; it's not your choice. Your father had a choice. He choice to kill and hurt people you do not." She paused then looked down at Cranon as if trying to read what he was thinking. They stayed there for a while until Aunt Cissy pushed back his hair and whispered, "I hardly see any of my sister in you. I'm not sure if that's a good thing or not." Aunt Cissy said offhandedly releasing Cranon's chin.

"Astoria will you escort this old woman to the kitchen. I think I'd like a spot of tea." Aunt Cissy said, heading for the door.

"Yes ma'am." Astoria said hoping up so quickly that it caused her dark brown curls to bounce behind her shoulders.

"Thank you my dear," Aunt Cissy took her arm but stopped to turn to Cranon once more, "Cranon?"

"Yea ma'am?" Cranon murmured.

"It's nice outside I think you'll join Draco outside for a walk. You'd enjoy that." They weren't questions or offers they were commands so Cranon headed for the door to find Draco, "And Cranon?"

"Yes ma'am?"

"Dinner tonight." She paused making sure Cranon was listening, "Be there."

"Yes ma'am." Cranon murmured exiting the Manor surprised to find a little skip in his step as he did so.


End file.
